Sunday Worship ServiceApril 17, 2016

City ReformedP R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H

Welcome to City Reformed Presbyterian ChurchWe are glad to have you join us for worship today. We expect that many people who are with us may not be familiar with the way our worship service is structured. We have attempted to explain as much as possible in the bulletin. More information is available on our website: www.cityreformed.org.

1.) What kind of Church is City Reformed? - We believe that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. Its message centers on the good news (“gospel”) of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel compels us to engage the city around us, it calls us to renew our minds, it draws us together to be the family of God, and it directs our worship to the living God. - We are linked to the historic Protestant church (“Evangelical”) and to other Christians throughout the world. - We are a part of a denomination called the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). www.pcanet.org

2.) What happens on Sundays? From September through April, we have two worship services on Sunday mornings & Christian Education hour. We also have an Evening Worship Service in Squirrel Hill. (Lord’s Supper is on the 1st Sunday of the month for Morning Worship & on the 3rd for Evening Worship.) 9:15 am Worship Service 10:00 am Christian Education (all ages) 10:45 am Coffee and Fellowship 11:15 am Worship Service (Children’s Church for kids 4-7) 12:45 pm Food and Fellowship 6:30 pm Evening Worship Service in Squirrel Hill

3.) Are there programs for my children? Nursery for children 0-4 is offered during both services and Christian Education. We have a full Christian Education Program for children of all ages at 10:00 am. Families that go to the 9:15 am service have the option to dismiss their children to attend Christian Education during the sermon. During the 11:15 service children 4-7 have the option to be dismissed to attend Children’s Church. Please talk to an usher or greeter if you have any questions about the nursery.

4.) Where can I park my car? On Sunday mornings, the metered parking is free and there are usually many open spots on the street. 5.) How do I connect? We would love to get to know you! Please join us for a time of fellowship and refreshments after the worship services. If you would like to contact a pastor please send us an email: rob@cityreformed.org. The best way to meet other members of our congregation is to visit one of our community groups (listed on page 9). The groups are always open for visitors, and brand new groups form throughout the year. Finally, be sure to stop by the welcome table for more information.

In Christ, Matt Koerber, Sr. Pastor

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City Reformed Presbyterian Church Sunday Morning WorshipApril 17, 2016

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

-2 Peter 3:8-10

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O God of Our SalvationO God of our salvation Who reigns upon the throne The sov’reign Father great is He From Whom all blessings flow

Chorus O God of our salvation From Whom redemption comes O Father Son and Spirit The blessed Three in One

Behold the Son our Savior Who for our sin was slain The Christ Who purchased with His blood The wretched souls of men

Chorus

O God the Holy Spirit Revealing deity The fount of life and love divine Throughout eternity

Chorus (x2)

O God of our salvation Who reigns upon the throne The sov’reign Father great is He From Whom all blessings flow

Easter Reading: John 21:1-8

Please stand for the call to worship if you are able.

Call to Worship: Psalm 112:1-4, 6, 10 Leader: Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his com-mandments!

People: His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Leader: Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

People: Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Leader: For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.

People: The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!

Prayer of Invocation

Worship Service

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Look To Jesus (Come Ye Souls By Sin Afflicted)Come ye souls by sin afflicted Bowed with fruitless sorrow down; By the broken law convicted Through the cross behold the crown; Look to Jesus (3x) Mercy flows through Him alone.

Take His easy yoke and wear it; Love will make your obedience sweet; Christ will give you strength to bear it, While His grace shall guide your feet Safe to glory (3x) Where His ransomed captives meet.

Blessed are the eyes that see Him, Blest the ears that hear His voice; Blessed are the souls that trust Him, And in Him alone rejoice; His commandments (3x) Then become their happy choice.

Sweet as home to pilgrims weary, Light to newly opened eyes, Like full springs in deserts dreary, Is the rest the cross supplies; All who taste it (3x) Shall to rest immortal rise.

Look to Jesus (3x) Mercy flows through Him alone.

Glorify Thy NameFather, we love You, we worship and adore You. Glorify Thy name in all the earth! Glorify Thy name, glorify Thy name, Glorify Thy name in all the earth!

Jesus we love You, we worship and adore You. Glorify Thy name in all the earth! Glorify Thy name, glorify Thy name, Glorify Thy name in all the earth!

Spirit, we love You, we worship and adore You. Glorify Thy name in all the earth! Glorify Thy name, glorify Thy name, Glorify Thy name in all the earth!

Call to Confession: 1 John 1:5-10

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Prayer of Confession:

Heavenly Father we confess this truth: You are light and in you no darkness can dwell. Yet Lord we acknowledge that even as children of the light, we still delight in darkness; we still run after the things our sinful heart’s desire. We stumble around blindly after things that do not satisfy, and things that cause us destruction. O Savior we desire to live in the light; to be in fellowship with you! Oh God forgive us for our fickle hearts; forgive our sin, we ask. Help us! Change us! By your Spirit, draw us into the light that we might stand as radiant reflections of you in this dark world. For we ask these things through the Light of the World, your son and our savior, Jesus Christ.

Silent Confession

Assurance of Pardon: 1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Testimony: Milla Chappell

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Song of RenewalDuring this song we will pass offering bags through the congregation. We ask that our members and regular attendees will thoughtfully consider their contribution as an act of worship - a response to God’s grace in our lives. Those who are not a regular part of our church are not expected to participate in the offering.

Psalm 73Surely God is good To all the pure in heart. But as for me, my feet Had almost slipped I nearly lost my grip, For I envied the arrogant. They are free from my burdens.

Surely I in vain Have kept my, my heart pure, And surely they are strong And free from trials. I am so confused. Then I entered your Holy place, Then I saw their destiny.

Surely they’re cast down As those on slippery ground, As dreams fade, when we wake, So they become Completely swept away. In my heart I was arrogant Like a beast before you.

Yet always you are near; You guide me by your word. And always, my Lord and God, You are my strength, My portion you will be. You’re my refuge, my sovereign Lord; I will sing of your awesome deeds.

You’re my refuge, my sovereign Lord; I will sing of your awesome deeds.

Corporate & Pastoral Prayer*At this time, children ages 4-7 may be dismissed for children’s church. The leaders will take the children to children’s church and then back to the worship service after the sermon. Children’s Song of the Month: Crown Him with Many Crowns.

Additional ScripturePsalm 2 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Isaiah 13:6-11 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.

Isaiah 57:8-12 Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your memorial; for, deserting me, you have uncovered your bed, you have gone up to it, you have made it wide; and you have made a covenant for yourself with them, you have loved their bed, you have looked on nakedness. You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far off, and sent down even to Sheol. You were wearied with the length of your way, but you did not say, “It is hopeless”; you found new life for your strength, and so you were not faint. Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you do not fear me? I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, but they will not profit you.

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Sermon 1 Thessalonians – Living in Hope

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 1Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying,

“There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

“Children of the Day” -Reverend Rob Gray

Additional ScriptureJoel 2:1-2, 10-13 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. … The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it? “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Romans 13:11-14 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

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Additional ScriptureEphesians 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints...

2 Peter 3:10-15 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him...

Creedal Response: Westminster Shorter CatechismQ.38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?

A. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.

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Please stand for the final songs if you are able.

Songs of Thanksgiving:

Be Thou My Vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart! Naught be all else to me save that thou art! Thou my best thought by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom and thou my true word I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord! Thou my great Father, I thy true son, Thou in me dwelling and I with thee one!

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise; Thou mine inheritance, now and always! Thou and thou only first in my heart; High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won. May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my vision, O Ruler of All.

StrongerThere is Love that came for us Humbled to a sinner’s cross You broke my shame and sinfulness You rose again victorious

Faithfulness none can deny Through the storm and through the fire There is truth that sets me free Jesus Christ who lives in me

Chorus You are stronger You are stronger Sin is broken You have saved me It is written Christ is risen Jesus You are Lord of all

No beginning and no end You’re my hope and my defense You came to seek and save the lost You paid it all upon the cross

Chorus

So let Your Name be lifted higher Be lifted higher Be lifted higher Repeat

Chorus

Prayer

Announcements*At the beginning of announcements parents are dismissed to get their children from nursery.

Benediction